Saltaire, West Yorkshire, UK, 16 January 2008: Pace Micro Technology plc (LSE:PIC), the leading independent developer of digital TV technologies for the global payTV industry has been selected by Modern Times Group's Viasat Broadcasting, the leading digital satellite payTV broadcaster in Scandinavia and the Baltic states, to be the launch partner for its high definition PVR service.
Viasat will be deploying the Pace TDS850NV high definition personal video recorder (HD PVR) to households across the Nordic countries. The TDS850NV is a twin tuner HD PVR, which combines H.264 compression with DVB-S2 demodulation and comes with NDS middleware and content security. Its distinctive look and feel has been created by the Pace Industrial Design team to reflect today's trends in consumer electronics equipment and home interiors - giving Viasat's customers an all-round high quality experience.
Neil Gaydon, Chief Executive Officer of Pace Micro Technology commented: "The TDS850NV builds on our experience in delivering cutting-edge HD and PVR technology to customers across the world and broadens the product range that we supply to Viasat, which includes the standard definition Pace DS250NV satellite set-top box and the Pace TDS460NV standard definition PVR."
Bartek Gudowski, Chief Executive Officer, Viasat Satellite Services added: "Launching HD in the Nordic countries is an important part of our strategy as the premium payTV operator in this region. It was important that we chose a supplier we could rely on to deliver the product on time and to the required quality. With Pace's proven developments in HD deployments, as well as their long relationship with Viasat as a trusted and key supplier they were the natural choice."
Neil Gaydon continued: "Viasat is the third European operator to choose Pace's HD PVR technology. Our early investment in HD technology, with the launch of the first H.264 DVB-S2 set-top box nearly two years ago has put us in the lead position for the HD PVR worldwide, and we now have deployments across three continents - in North America, Africa and Europe, making us the leading supplier of HD PVRs worldwide."
Viasat Broadcasting is currently launching its high definition service.
About Pace Micro Technology
Pace Micro Technology plc (pic.l) is the leading digital TV technology company, creating intelligent and innovative products for payTV operators and consumers around the world.
With some of the most experienced engineers in set-top box technology and digital convergence, Pace develops products that enable TV content and digital entertainment services to be distributed into, throughout and beyond the home.
Pace's global headquarters are in Saltaire, West Yorkshire, UK, with further offices in the USA, France, India and Hong Kong.
About Modern Times Group MTG AB
Modern Times Group is a leading international entertainment broadcasting group with the second largest geographical broadcast footprint in Europe. MTG's Viasat Broadcasting is the largest free-to-air and satellite premium pay-TV operator in Scandinavia and the Baltics, and also operates channels in the Czech Republic, Russia, Hungary, Slovenia and the Balkans. Viasat channels are broadcast in a total of 24 countries and reach 100 million people. MTG is also the biggest shareholder in Russia´s largest independent television network (CTC Media - NASDAQ: CTCM), and the number one commercial radio operator in the Nordic and Baltic regions.